Coming home
What to prepare before the puppy arrives
You do not need a whole pet shop. You need four things in the right place, and a house that is not treating the puppy as a weekend guest.
Families often arrive with a shopping list that is already too long: three beds, four toys, an orthopaedic mattress, a gate, a mat, a “spare” crate. On day one the puppy will use almost none of it. What it needs is to understand where it sleeps, where it eats, and where it goes out. The rest can wait until you have seen how it actually lives in your home.
- Bed
- One, in a sheltered corner. Not in the middle of the traffic.
- Bowls
- Two, low and stable, always in the same place.
- Way out
- The most direct route outdoors, without obstacles.
- Lead
- One short lead and a comfortable harness. No flexi leads for a puppy.
What is worth having
- An open crate, used as a den, not a prison.
- A cloth or blanket with a familiar smell, if we send one with you.
- The same food it has been eating with us, for at least ten days.
- Ramps or low steps if you have a high sofa: a dachshund should not learn to jump “because it is small”.
Worth doing
- Decide in advance who takes it out in the morning.
- Close stairs and balconies from the first day.
- Tell the neighbours a puppy is coming — not the other way around.
Can wait
- The “final” designer bed.
- Ten interactive toys bought in one go.
- Trainers and classes: first it only needs to land.
Prepare the house as if the dog will stay fifteen years. Because that is exactly what you are asking of it.
Written by LA BANDA BASSOTTO, dachshund breeder in Lodi (Lombardy, Italy), ENCI/FCI kennel affix Villa Quattro Zampe.
These pages are born from daily life with our dogs. For their health, your veterinarian remains the dearest and truest voice.
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